The NY Times apologizes for comparing an enslaved black woman to Kim Kardashian

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The INSIDER Summary:

The New York Times is facing a lot of backlash for comparing an enslaved woman named Saartjie Baartman to Kim Kardashian.

The writer tweeted that Baartman was a "Kim Kardashian of another era" in a review for the play "Venus."

People were extremely offended and stressed the lack of diversity at the publication.

On Tuesday, the New York Times faced intense backlash after one of its writers called Saartjie (or Sarah) Baartman — an enslaved woman from 19th-century South Africa who's known for her exaggerated bottom — a "Kim Kardashian of another era."

@kualitykontent/Twitter The NYT made the comparison in a tweet for its review of the Off-Broadway revival, "Venus."

"A Kim Kardashian of another era returns in Suzan-Lori Park's 'Venus,'" the Times wrote in the tweet. The article itself also draws the Kardashian comparison. "Attention, please, those of you whose greatest ambition is to acquire the traffic-stopping body of Kim Kardashian," theater critic Ben Brantley began. "There is a less drastic alternative to costly and dangerous buttocks implants."

Readers immediately took offense to Brantley's disturbing comparison.

Tumblr Baartman — also known as the Hottentot Venus — was forced to perform in freak shows in Europe during the 1800s. Her body's proportions were ridiculed by onlookers, and she eventually died in poverty. After Baartman died, her remains were put on display for public viewing up until the 1970s. Baartman faced inhumane treatment throughout her life and long after her death; Kardashian, on the other hand, lives an outwardly lavish and privileged lifestyle.